Dear Bank Manager…It’s Time You Helped my Marketing

These are exactly the kinds of comments I hear from clients who are finally picking up the phone to advisors like myself in the pursuit of some improved marketing.

Granted, some may have a degree of education and understanding about what ‘might be useful’ in terms of first getting their name out there, but many are simply baffled over how to operate and what to do in those early days when money is tight but a customer-base is critical.

Well, what if I told you that you already have many more marketing strands to your bow than you realise?
What if I said that you’re already sitting on around half a dozen golden leads which are no more than an email or phone call away?

Simply delving inside your purse or wallet could be enough to unearth some of those superb opportunities.
And no – I’m not talking about rummaging in your wallet for money to pay for your marketing, but free prospects which are sitting there begging for action.

Here’s some suggestions:

Membership Cards:
Member of a sports club, an association, a society?
Whether the membership is of something social or professional, there’s bound to be a communication method which reaches your fellow comrades within that body.
Investigate whether there’s a newsletter which goes to members, or a website which allows you to place details about your business.

Does the organisation have its own PR operation, and, as a result, is it often looking for casestudies which it might share with the press or use in email marketing?
Find out. Make the membership work for you beyond your initial objective of signing up.

Banks:

You kindly pay your money into them and leave it sitting in their vaults. You draw a bit of cash from the hole in the wall and you try not to be too demanding on their services, but are you getting the ‘extra’ service which your bank could provide?
If you have a personal or business manager at your preferred bank, get in touch with them. You don’t have to become best friends, but find out about newsletter material or networking events which the bank specifically operate and which may prove useful to you.

Tell them that you’d be interested in being a casestudy as a ‘new business’ if their PR department are wanting to share details with the media.

Find out what online networks there are for the customers of said bank and whether there’s a chance to join a forum or list your company.

Insurance Providers:

Have you considered that your provider might want to use your business as a casestudy on their website or in their marketing collateral?
Perhaps you’d make a perfect representation of what they as a company are about and how well they serve SMEs or growing enterprises like yours?
Let them know you’re happy to be involved in on or offline marketing activity they may be interested in doing.

Points Cards from Leading Retailers:

Most of us have some kind of loyalty card from one retailer or other, but beyond points, what else is your loyalty to that brand doing you?
Most supermarkets and retail businesses have some kind of communication method with their customers – from websites to magazines.

It’s worth exploring whether you’d be a useful casestudy candidate for any marketing activity they’re doing in their customer publication or online.

While these tips aren’t going to set your marketing campaign on fire, they are just a few small steps toward exposing your brand and proactively reaching out to a new audience.
For more ideas and a detailed insight into what more you could be doing to improve your communications strategy, email me hello@deborahwatson.co.uk